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    Sun Storms May Super-Charge Northern Lights Wednesday

    Particles ejected by recent solar storms are due to slam into Earth over the next few days, possibly causing super-charged northern lights displays and temporary radio blackouts in some areas, experts say.

    On Monday (Dec. 26), the sun unleashed a massive eruption of solar plasma known as a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME's fast-moving charged particles should squarely strike Earth's magnetic field at about 3:20 p.m. EST (2020 GMT) Wednesday, give or take seven hours, according to the website Spaceweather.com.

    The particles from another CME could deliver a glancing blow to our planet a few hours earlier on Wednesday, Spaceweather.com reported.

    The two impacts will likely spawn minor and/or moderate geomagnetic storms at high latitudes on Wednesday and Thursday. If they're powerful enough, geomagnetic storms can temporarily disrupt GPS signals, radio communications and power grids.

    "Category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are expected 28 and 29 December due to multiple coronal mass ejection arrivals," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center wrote in an update Tuesday (Dec. 27). "R1 (Minor) radio blackouts are expected until 31 December."

    Geomagnetic storms can also trigger dramatic aurora displays, which are also known as the northern and southern lights. So skywatchers at higher latitudes may want to look up after sunset over the next few days.

    The sun's recent eruptions are part of a pattern.

    After remaining surprisingly quiet from 2005 through 2010, our star has come alive in 2011, spouting off numerous powerful flares and CMEs. An August flare, for example, was the strongest one seen in more than four years.

    Most experts expect such outbursts to continue over the next few years. Solar activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle, and scientists think the current one — known as Solar Cycle 24 — will peak in 2013.

    You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

     

    32 comments

    • tecton47  •  Aurora, Colorado  •  5 mths ago
      Large CME's are fairly common and I think the spirit of this article was to enjoy the light show, not to pack in supplies for Armageddon like Rocket 9244 is predicting. Most satellites have ample shielding to protect them from permanent damage. My hopes are that the Northern Lights venture further south than usual due to this event and despite the light pollution in Denver I'll get a glimpse.
      • HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBC ... 5 mths ago
        You may hoping for something that may not be so good, I 'm happy with Earth's current spin axis and magnetic alignment. The flux lines are tighter at the poles which I do not care to change. It appears to me some flight navigation is still inertial for polar routes. People can always travel North or South to view the excitement of the magnetic field. Polarity does play a role at the equator.
      • tecton47 5 mths ago
        How did you decide that a large CME will change the Earth's axis and what are we magnetically aligned with? Ourselves? And what does the inertial flight polar routes mean? Sorry but I think you're commenting when you need to do a little more studying first.
      • HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBC ... 5 mths ago
        Ahh, how is the Solar wind today, you may want understand why the Aurora is where it is and why it is the Earths magnetic field is less excitable on the equator.
        In the polar region, magnetic heading is unreliable or totally useless for navigation. Magnetic variations typically are extreme, often are not constant at the same point, and change rapidly as an airplane changes position., humm
        Interestingly, when flying close to the pole, crews have noticed navigational display (ND) track and magenta lines may exhibit ratcheting. When operating in the polar region with the ND plan mode displayed, the aircraft position symbol disappears when flying into the polar region.
    • john j  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  5 mths ago
      Awww ... Isn't it cute. I love how people that don't know a darned thing about science are posting comments on this thread.
      • tecton47 5 mths ago
        It is John. Usually they throw in politics or religion due to their ignorance of science just because they want to be included in the discussion. It's like the guy at the party that tells off-color jokes so people notice him.
    • el tomasino  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  5 mths ago
      sweeet. how far south might it be visible?
      • Bellissimo Pizza 5 mths ago
        OK search "Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES" and you can see the map prediction.
      • Always Nice 5 mths ago
        Not as far as Arizona, Sorry man.
    • oneeye  •  5 mths ago
      great will be fun shooting skip around the world on the 10 to 12 meter radio bands
    • Egore  •  Washington, District of Columbia  •  5 mths ago
      There goes the sun again...
    • HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBC ...  •  Oakland, California  •  5 mths ago
      The forecast is nothing to be concerned about;
      Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,
      Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force.
      Updated 2011 Dec 27 2200 UTC

      Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity
      SDF Number 361 Issued at 2200Z on 27 Dec 2011

      IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 26/2100Z
      to 27/2100Z: Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24
      hours. Regions 1386 (S18E22) and 1387 (S21W57) both have produced
      multiple C-class events, with the largest being a C8/1f at 27/0422Z
      from Region 1386. Associated with this event, was a non Earth
      directed CME. Both Regions continue to grow and evolve as they
      rotate across the disk. Region 1388 (S23E67) was numbered early in
      the period as it rotated onto the east limb.

      IB. Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be at
      moderate levels for the next three days (28 - 30 December).

      IIA. Geophysical Activity Summary 26/2100Z to 27/2100Z:
      The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours.

      IIB. Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is
      expected to be at quiet to active levels with isolated periods of
      minor storm levels on days one and two (28 - 29 December) with
      multiple CME arrivals expected. A decrease in activity is expected
      on day three (30 December) as CME effects wane.

      III. Event Probabilities 28 Dec-30 Dec
      Class M 70/70/70
      Class X 01/01/01
      Proton 10/10/10
      PCAF Green

      IV. Penticton 10.7 cm Flux
      Observed 27 Dec 140
      Predicted 28 Dec-30 Dec 140/140/140
      90 Day Mean 27 Dec 144

      V. Geomagnetic A Indices
      Observed Afr/Ap 26 Dec 002/000
      Estimated Afr/Ap 27 Dec 000/000
      Predicted Afr/Ap 28 Dec-30 Dec 012/018-014/022-011/010

      VI. Geomagnetic Activity Probabilities 28 Dec-30 Dec
      A. Middle Latitudes
      Active 20/25/15
      Minor storm 05/10/05
      Major-severe storm 01/01/01
      B. High Latitudes
      Active 20/15/15
      Minor storm 25/30/20
      Major-severe storm 20/40/20
      • rocket9244 5 mths ago
        this is one Real possibility that people talk about for 2012.
        the sun will erupt and throw out massive flares that Will disrupt our way of life.
        if it gets real bad, it could throw us back 50 -100 years...before computers, cell phones, electricity etc etc.
        the end of life? maybe. but more likely, we will have to rebuild our power grids and with any luck, the crazies will be eliminated before they wreck havoc on the rest of us, causing a major meltdown in the way humans think and act.
        it could be the beginning of the end..
      • HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBC ... 5 mths ago
        This has been discussed since discussion was possible. If your not ready your not ready. The end has always been near the beginning, take a walk and smell the air.
      • mouthpiecer 5 mths ago
        I walked around the White House, and it stunk.
    • Jon  •  5 mths ago
      probably will be cloudy again.
    • Snorri Sturluson  •  5 mths ago
      2011 goes out with Flash and Dash. Let's hope the effects come South towards NYC which unsurprisingly would think it's either Al Qaeda or a Macy's Sale if they ever looked up.
    • Patrick  •  St Paul, Minnesota  •  5 mths ago
      Go figure another sweet Northern Light show and its suppose to be snowing here on Wednesday and or just straight up cloudy. Really?? I am getting sick and tired of this, I really enjoy watching the Northern Lights in real time in my backyard, but for the past year now or so every time a shot at a really good show, it decides to be cloudy and this has been happening with everything that has happened in space from meteor showers, to blue moons, red moons, to everything else that is just awesome to see, but nope mother nature decides to take a dump on the midwest and not allow us to watch the cool stuff that space has to offer.
    • Megan  •  Seattle, Washington  •  5 mths ago
      Think it'll be visible in Spokane, Washington?
    • Tayvon  •  5 mths ago
      watch for the earthquake that follows ........
    • Maddie  •  Seattle, Washington  •  5 mths ago
      Well the Nasa spaceweather backs this story, SORT OF, this article is very much overstated.
    • phiz  •  5 mths ago
      We're all gonna fry!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Burlington, Vermont  •  5 mths ago
      Nos-tro-dam-us
    • Erick  •  5 mths ago
      What does this all mean?
    • Sarge  •  5 mths ago
      There Would Be A Migration Of People Toward Warmer Climates. If Power Whent Down Or Freeze.
    • Atomic Dust Bin  •  5 mths ago
      I'd bet good money that the earth will get toasted by one of those bad boys before you know it. A CME large enough will scorch us into the dark ages, bigger still will fry us all. The chaos will be completely whack.
    • Charles  •  5 mths ago
      The sky is falling ! The sky is falling!
    • Jim  •  Elmhurst, Illinois  •  5 mths ago
      The charged particles don't travel at the speed of light, the light from the sun takes only about 8.3 minutes to reach us, the particles will hit the outer atmosphere around the time stated in this article, some time before or after that they might sandblast a few particles of fine dust of the surface of the moon, maybe a little of that moondust will fall on your satellite dish and wake up the spiders living in your signal booster.
    • WAYNE  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  5 mths ago
      I dont have any lights and I live in the north!! but again they turned off my electric for nonpayment!! but my neighbor left for florida about an hour ago so I will just plug my new extension cord into his outside outlet and I will be cruising again!
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